


Two Worlds

by Lex_Sparrow



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-04-24
Packaged: 2017-12-08 04:30:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/757073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lex_Sparrow/pseuds/Lex_Sparrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Emma was whisked away to sanctuary by the Blue Fairy before the curse struck, leaving her to be raised by the few fairies left until the Queen of Hearts arrived. On the run, she finds herself working aboard a ship and, ultimately, her True Love. Just things have calmed and the pair readies to cross to the other realm, the Queen's forces are upon them. Forced to leave to the land without magic with her child, Emma must now find a way to break the curse and reunite the two worlds to bring her family together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Would I really be writing fanfiction if I owned Once?...well…..maybe. All recognizable characters and settings are property of the amazing Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and their respective owners. I own nothing but the season one blu-ray box set (and David Anders' autograph). No copyright infringement is intended.

_**Prologue** _

Twenty-eight years to the day, that's how long it had been since her parents had been ripped from her by the Evil Queen. Twenty-eight years that she had grown up without her mother or her father there to guide and watch over her. Twenty-eight years since the Blue Fairy had whisked her away from the castle to protect her from the same curse. They should have been safe; the Evil Queen was gone, trapped in the land without magic as she wanted, but now the Queen of Hearts reigned over the Enchanted Forest.

She had been safe under the protection of the fairies until the heartless army had ransacked the small sanctuary. She had been forced to run, as her mother before her had been, and ended up finding her way onto a ship. She had been young then, as had the ship's captain. The fates seemed to shine on her when the captain heard her story and allowed her to stay on board as long as she pulled her own weight and assisted in their quest for a bean that would take them to the other realm, the one without magic.

From that point on, they had been doing their best to steer clear of the Queen, knowing that she wanted to get to that other realm as much as they did and she would stop at nothing to make it happen. She had worked hard, as she had sworn to the captain, and eventually worked her way up to the rank of first mate when she proved to be more loyal than the bilge rat, Mr. Smee, who tried to keep them from getting their desired treasure. During that time, she had also managed to soften the captain's heart and earn herself a place there as well.

The Jolly Roger had become as much her home as the sanctuary had been and it had protected them until she had fallen pregnant; he had only allowed her to stand aboard until they had found the deserted stretch of land where he and their crew had worked hard to get a suitable home build for them, unwilling to use the bean just yet, not willing to let her to portal jump while with child.

Life on the island had been quiet and the arrival of their son, Henry David Jones, had been a quiet affair, unlike the story of her own birth. Henry had been three months old when the message came that the Queen had found their whereabouts and was on the way to them. The crew was out on the Jolly Roger, waiting for the first sign of the Queen's ship on the horizon.

"Love, take it," he grabbed her hand and tried to force her to take the bean, "Get you and the lad get out of here, get to where it's safe. She can't get to you there."

She shook her head fiercely, pushing his hand away from her. "I can't leave you here to die, Killian! You know the second she steps on this island; she will kill everyone here if we don't fight. You aren't fighting without me."

Killian clenched his fists at his sides, "If you stay and fight, she'll kill you and our son and get to that realm. She'll get there and kill your mother and father and every other person in that realm. You have to take the bean and get there before she does. Just have a bit of faith, love, and trust me." He brushed the fingers of his lone hand against her cheek, "You've already been my savior, lass. It's time for you to be theirs." Tears had slipped from her eyes as she gave him one last desperate kiss as she finally took the token from him.

She remembered the 'I love you' that was whispered against his lips and the ache that settled in her chest as she forced herself out of their room, down to the nursery they had built for their baby. She remembered grabbed the baby blanket, the same one she had been wrapped in, and wrapping the tiny boy inside it. She had clutched him tight as she raced into the wooded area of the island as the red sails started to appear on the horizon. She remembered burying the bean in the dirt and the portal opening at her feet as the first sounds of cannon fire could be heard across the island. She had taken one last look at the home off in the distance as more tears slid from her eyes before diving into the portal.

That had been ten years ago. Ten years since she had been forced out of her land, away from her love. Ten years since she had been able to begin searching for the cursed town.

The clock on the radio of the small car struck midnight as the headlights of the Bug lit up the sign in front of where she had parked. With a small smile, she reached over to the passenger seat and brushed a stray lock of hair from her ten year old son's forehead.

"We're almost home, Henry," she whispered, "We're almost home."

The words _Welcome to Storybrooke_ went by as she put the car in park and headed into town.


	2. Chapter 1

**_Chapter 1_ **

It didn't take her long, driving down the main strip in town, to find what appeared to be the only inn in town. _Granny's_ the sign read as she pulled into the parking lot. With a shrug Emma got out of the car and looked up at the large cottage in front of her. She looked between the door and the car, trying to decide what would be best. Henry could be as grumpy as his father had been when he was woken up, but she didn't want to leave him in the car alone, in the strange town.

With a sigh, she opened the passenger door slowly and positioned herself so his head that had been leaning against the cool window would rest against her so not to jolt him. He was getting too old for this, she knew it but she couldn't bring herself to wake him, more so when she caught sight of the familiar blanket clutched to his chest.

She knelt down so she could lay his head against her shoulder before tucking her hands under him to lift him out of the car. She groaned as she lifted the boy; yeah, he was definitely getting too old for this. She kicked the door of the Bug closed; she would get them settled in the room and then come get their stuff. She headed up the walk way and entered the door in time to hear the screaming match going on between the older lady and her granddaughter.

A small groan from Henry caused her to shush him before clearing her throat. That stopped the screaming as the older lady went behind the check in counter while the lady in red headed towards the door.

"Would you like a room?" the older lady asked as her hand went to the key rack, "I'm sure you want to get him back to bed."

Emma gave her a half smile, "Yeah, anything you've got will be fine." She watched the lady search for the room key while she adjusted Henry to shift his weight to a more comfortable position. The lady finally grabbed the key and wrote down the room number in the log.

"How long will you be staying?"

The thought of what she had come to the town to do ran through her mind again. "Can I get back to you on that one?"

The woman nodded and went to make another note in her record log, "And what's your name?"

"Emma. Emma Swan."

From behind her, she heard her first name repeated and turned to see an older man dressed in a suit behind her. "What a lovely name."

It wasn't the words but the way they were said that sent a chill down Emma's spine. She had seen drawings and had heard stories of Rumplestilskin, from the fairies and from Killian; the last thing she wanted was to get involved in anything with him. "Thanks," she said quickly and turned to see the woman holding a roll of cash out towards the man.

He took it and put it away in the breast pocket of his jacket. "Enjoy your stay," She clutched Henry tighter to her, glad for once that he was asleep, as she wished desperately that her love had been able to come with them. "Emma."

Thankfully he walked off without another word and she was able to turn her attention back to the lady. The elderly lady attempted to give her a smile as she held out the key. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

Emma returned the smile and headed off in the direction of the stairs that led up to the rooms. Once she was away from the woman, Granny she assumed, she allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. She found the room number and walked inside; it was a fairly decent place, homier than she imagined. Instead of dwelling on the cold feeling from accidentally running into the man that had once destroyed her love's life and the ache that came as she thought of him, she worked about getting Henry in the bed, taking his shoes off and tucking him in. Once he was settled, she ran back out to the car to grab the overnight bag with their toiletries, leaving the rest of their stuff until the morning. The only other thing she grabbed was the leather bound book that was on the floor of the car.

The book had been a gift to Henry when they had accidentally ran into Pinocchio a month back. He had been as shocked to see her as she had been to find someone else from their world outside of the cursed town. He had been even more shocked when he found out how she had escaped the curse. He had given the book to her son and had told her that it would help her out once she got to town. Unsure of how the book would help them, Emma had let Henry keep it for the stories of her parents and their land that it held. With the promise to send him a postcard when the curse was broken, the duo and Pinocchio had went their separate ways: them to Boston and he to Phuket.

She set the book on the desk and went about getting herself ready for bed. After a warm shower and change of clothes, she crawled into the bed next to her son and turned out the light. She rolled onto her side and watched the boy in the darkness.

It was in those few moments in the dark, before sleep took over, that she let herself feel the ache of the hole in her heart. She had thought after ten years of separation that the pain would lessen but it never did. Instead it got worse when she spotted the way Henry moved or spoke or the way his smile was an exact replica of his father's or when it hit her how fast he was growing up and how much of his life Killian was missing out on.

She had done her best to make sure his memory lived on, making sure to tell their baby boy about all of their adventures together, but the longer she was without him the more the memory just wasn't enough. She had cried the day he had asked her if he had his papa's eyes and she had been unable to answer him. She didn't remember until later that night that Killian's eyes had been blue as the sea and that no, Henry didn't have his eyes. From that night, she would lay down as she was now, side by side with her son, and force herself to remember every detail she could about her love.

That way, as long as the memories were there, he was still alive to her.

She felt Henry curl against her side and rest his head on her shoulder once again. With a kiss to his dark head of hair, Emma finally closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.

In the still of the dark night, as the inhabitants of the town slept peacefully, the minute hand on the rusted, old clock tower moved for the first time in twenty-eight years.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 2_ **

That morning was just like every other morning since they had arrived in the town. Regina got up, got ready for a day of work at the mayor's office, and headed out to walk to the office and take in the site of the people living the same day of their miserable little lives all over again. A faint smile was on her face as she walked past the familiar shop where the wood carver was constantly fixing the sign, yet the man wasn't there that morning. Nor did the lonely, little, miserable imp limp on by.

A frown crossed her face as she nearly ran into the cricket, as usual. The frown deepened when she caught him staring up at something. The sound of the bell at the top of the clock tower tolling stopped the major in her tracks as she looked up at the clock. _8:25_. The clock never read that, the clock didn't even work! Time was frozen here!

"Huh," she heard come from the former cricket, "guess those rusty, old innards finally worked themselves out."

The grip she had on the leather briefcase tightened as the man walked away. Something was wrong.

"Come on, Henry, get up!" Emma called from the small bathroom, "We're gonna be late meeting with your new principal." She bit back a smile as she heard the grumbling coming from the bed as Henry finally stumbled out of bed, towards the bathroom. She ruffled his sleep tousled hair as she slipped back into the main room. "Ten minutes and I'll have cocoa for you, okay?"

She chuckled as she heard another grumble, this time one she assumed was agreement, before grabbing the keys to her car and the room along with her wallet. After locking the door behind her, Emma made her way back downstairs and followed the signs that led to the attached diner. Behind the counter, she spotted the same lady with the red streaks in her hair that she had seen when she had first arrived.

She quickly placed her order for breakfast along with a large cup of coffee and the cocoa she had promised Henry, made just the way they both preferred it. The lady, Ruby her nametag read, brought Emma her coffee while she waited for the food to be ready. With a word of thanks, Emma took a seat at the counter and looked around at the diner's customers.

If it wasn't for the fact that she had come from the same land and knew quite a few of the people from the stories of the fairies, she would have had a very hard time believing in the reality of the curse. But with that knowledge, and the meeting with Pinocchio, she could see the difference. Now that she had time to think, she had figured out who she had run into when she checked in last night. Granny didn't seem much different here but Ruby was a far cry from what she had heard of her mother's faithful friend, Red.

There at a table all alone was poor Gepetto, or whatever he went by in this realm. She wished she could tell him about his son, that he was alive and here, but she couldn't. He probably didn't even remember creating the formerly wooden puppet.

For a moment, she wondered what it was like to be like them. To not remember any of what had happened in the other realm. To not remember what she had been through, to not remember what had happened before she left. To not feel the hurt like an empty hole. Instead, they got to go on with whatever lives the Evil Queen had created for them here, in ignorance.

She heard someone clear their throat from behind her and turned around to see what it was. However the movement was too swift and caused the half-full cup of coffee to spill over the sides and right onto the blouse of the woman in front of her.

Emma heard a disgusted grunt as she quickly apologized before glancing up at the woman's face. Just at the first glance, a sense of disgust and horror filled her though she quickly masked it. She had heard all about that woman growing up, of the horrors she had done to her realm, to her family, to her mother. It was her fault they were here now and it was her fault that Emma's family would never be able to be put back together properly again.

If she hadn't darkened her heart, if she hadn't cast the curse, Emma would have been able to grow up in the loving home her parents had wanted for her. They would have been there to meet Killian and Snow would have been with her the day she gave birth to her own baby. Cora never would have taken over the Enchanted Forest and never have found their personal sanctuary they had created. If it wasn't for her, Killian would be by her side now.

Not only had she ripped away her parents' happy ending, but Emma's as well, and though the inhabitants of the cursed town would get theirs back when she figured out how to break it, she would never get hers back. She would never forgive the woman for that, and the smallest part of her looked forward to the day that happened. The day she could get her own form of revenge for the damage that had been done.

"Who are you?" she heard Regina ask and caught the look of confusion on her face. Thankfully Ruby chose that moment to come back with the bag that held her order.

Emma gave the mayor a smirk, "Just checking out the town, ma'am. I've been thinking about setting down some roots and helping out. The whole small town community thing." She didn't wait for a response as she grabbed the bag and headed back to her room.

The meeting with the blonde left an unsettling feeling in the pit of Regina's stomach. She quickly ordered her own coffee with barely another word to the waitress. The second the cup was in her hand, she headed off to her office.

In the comfort of her office, the feeling slowly started to dissipate. This is the realm where she won and nothing could take that room her. Not even their precious, little Savoir. When her guards had been unable to find the child, it had been assumed that the child had been killed. The Savoir was supposed to be dead!

Sitting the cup on her desk, Regina slid the drawer of her desk open and pulled out what appeared to be a small jewelry box. She lifted the lid to reveal a glowing, beating, red heart. Taking it into her hand, she began to speak.

"Graham, there's a new arrival that recently checked into Granny's. Interrogate her and find out exactly what she's doing here. Now."


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 3_ **

By the time Emma made it back up to the bedroom, she found Henry completely dressed and pulling on his shoes. She glanced over at the clock on the bedside table and felt the corner of her lips turn up; less than ten minutes and he was ready; that was her boy. She had taught him well.

"I got us a quick bite to eat while I was down there," she said putting the bag and the cup carrier down on the desk. She noticed him glance at the Styrofoam cups and raise an eyebrow.

"Did you get the cocoa?" Emma nodded and took the smaller of the two cups from the tray and handed it to him. "With cinnamon?"

Emma smirked at him as she watched him remove the lid and sniff the cup, then the smile that followed it. "Is there any other way to have it?" She set the throw away plate of pancakes on the desk and motioned him over as she pulled out her own breakfast. "Hurry up; we're supposed to be in his office by 9:30."

Another ten minutes and the duo pulled up outside of Storybrooke Elementary. As they stepped out of the car, Emma caught the look Henry sent her way and put a hand on his shoulder as they headed inside. "It's gonna be alright, kid," she whispered to him as they walked through the empty halls and finally found the correct door.

It wasn't long after she was greeted by the secretary and they had taken a seat that they were called into the principal's office. Once they were inside, they were greeted by an older gentleman in a blue suit and bowtie with large, round wire-rimmed glasses on his nose. Emma could see the mischievous look growing on her son's face and gave him a glare to stifle any quip he had been about to make.

"Ah," the man spoke as he adjusted his glasses and opened Henry's file. "Hello, Ms. Swan. Mr. Swan," he nodded to each of them in turn as his eyes scanned the paperwork. "It seems everything is in order and we can easily place him into one of our fourth grade rooms. Be aware there may be a bit of work the lad might have to catch up on, but I don't think that will be a problem." Principal Howler smiled over at Henry.

Emma gave Henry another look when it appeared the principal was waiting for him to speak. Henry rolled his eyes at her in return before turning back to the man across from them. "No problem, sir."

Principal Howler smiled at them again as he grabbed the printout and handed it to Emma. "He's officially enrolled; Ms. Blanchard will be his teacher. Her class will be breaking for gym here shortly if you would like to meet with her and get his textbooks."

Emma shook his hand and thanked him before she led Henry out of the office. She glanced down at the sheet of paper the man had given her and looked for the proper room number. As they got closer to Ms. Blanchard's room, they spotted the other children walking off towards the gymnasium. As soon as the class was off, the teacher turned to face Emma.

When she did, the blonde had to fight back the gasp that wanted to leave her lips. She had seen pictures of that woman before and seen those eyes staring at her for the last ten years.

Tears prickled at the back of her eyes as she set her eyes on her mother's face for the very first time.

The woman, Ms. Blanchard, cocked her head to the side. "May I help you?"

Emma choked back the lump in her throat and blinked rapidly to clear her eyes. "My son just got enrolled in your class," she stated, putting her hand on Henry's shoulder to lightly push him forward. She watched as he introduced himself to her before the teacher escorted Henry into the classroom to look around.

She managed to compose herself and followed them into the room to see her mother gathering the books Henry would need and explaining to him where they were in each one so he would be ready for class. She heard Henry thank her and saw him give her a quick hug before the woman's eyes met hers again with a look of curiosity. The woman stared at her for a moment before shaking her head.

"I'm so sorry," Ms. Blanchard spoke, "but I feel like I've met you before."

Emma shoved her hands in her pockets and shrugged. _You have, momma, you have._ "I don't think so," she gave her a tight-lipped smile.

She heard Ms. Blanchard hum before giving her a small shrug. "Well I'm glad I'll get to see you around now. It's been a pleasure to meet you, Henry, and…"

"Emma."

A smile stretched across Ms. Blanchard's lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Emma. I'll see you tomorrow, Henry?"

"Sure will, Ms. Blanchard," Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the wide grin on her son's face as he answered her. They exchanged goodbyes and he gathered his new books before they left the school.

Once they were in the car again, Henry glanced over at her. "So that was my grandma?"

Now that they were alone, Emma let him see the watery smile she had been holding back as she started up the Bug. "That's your grandma," she said as she ran a hand over his hair, "and we're going to make her remember that."

Not long and they were pulling back into the parking lot for the small bed and breakfast. However when the pair went up the small porch stairs and walked inside, instead of finding Granny or Ruby, there was a tall, scruffy man leaning against the check in counter.

"Emma Swan?" she heard the rough Irish voice and raised an eyebrow at him as she took in the man in front of her. Brown leather boots, black leather jacket, and a sheriff's badge. With a small shake of her head, she sent Henry upstairs to their room before she turned her attention towards the sheriff.

"That's me," Emma replied once Henry was out of earshot as she folded her arms over her chest, "can I help you, Sheriff?"

The man finally moved from his spot against the desk and held his hand out to her. "I heard about the town's newest addition. I'm Graham."

The blond watched him closely as she tentatively grasped his hand in hers. "Emma. Though you seemed to know that already. Can I help you?" she asked again.

The sheriff, Graham, gave her a shrug. "We don't get very many newcomers around here. It's kind of curious."

A smirk fell across her face as she slowly moved closer towards the stairs. There weren't many people she had met in town yet, especially those that knew her by name. "Curious to you or the mayor?"

The man's brow furrowed at her question. "I can assure you she has nothing to do with this."

Emma turned to face him one more time, this time with a tight-lipped smile on her face. "I can assure you, Sheriff, I'm not here to cause trouble no matter what whoever sent you here wants to think." With those final words, she headed upstairs to the room.

She had found her mother today, now the question became where was her father?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Posting this earlier than planned because I can ;) Also because this chapter and the one I’m working on now killed me to write.
> 
> Anyway thanks to whoever’s reading and here we go!!

_Chapter 4_

It had been two weeks since Emma and Henry arrived in Storybrooke and she was no closer to her goal than she had been when she arrived. The only major differences were the run-ins with the Sheriff that kept happening; he kept saying it wasn’t on purpose but she knew too much of how the mayor of the town worked to believe she wasn’t spying on her. Especially as she and her mother, known in this land as Mary Margaret, started growing closer. It had happened by chance; she had been sitting outside of the school waiting for Henry to wrap up a conversation with another boy around his age when she heard the tapping on her car window.

She had looked up to see her mother looking in at her with a small smile on her face. She had put down the newspaper she had been looking through for apartment listings and stepped out of the car to be able to speak with the other woman better. They had talked for a while about where Emma and Henry had moved from and how Boston had treated them. The conversation had eventually turned to the newspaper Emma had been looking in and she admitted that she had been looking for a new place to stay; the pair couldn’t live at Granny’s forever. Mary Margaret had ended up extending her an offer to share her loft; it would be cozy but there was an extra bed and a futon for Henry to sleep on, she wouldn’t have to share a bed with her ten year old.

The beeping of her car horn caused by said ten year old got a laugh out of the two women and Emma agreed to think over her offer and get back to her. In a way it was an appealing offer, to be able to live under the same roof as her young mother but she didn’t want to impose on her. It seemed not only did the town not have any apartments open; it also didn’t have any job openings.

At least until Graham had approached her the next day on her way to walking Henry to school. They had ended up bantering after he used the siren to get her attention and it ended up leading to a job offer from him as a deputy. She had given him a curious look but took the card he offered her anyway. She had thought about it the entire day as she continued her search through the book to see if she could get any leads whatsoever to where she could find her father. Later that day, she had ended up talking about the offer to Mary Margaret while Henry hung out on the playground equipment. With her words of encouragement, Emma had ended up call Graham by the end of the night to accept his offer.

She had left Henry with Granny when she went to the sheriff’s station to pick up her badge so she would be ready for her first day on the job. It had led to more bantering when Graham tried to get her to agree to wear the ridiculous deputy uniform. The second she had slid the badge on her belt, the ground under their feet as an earthquake shook the town. Instead of going back to Granny’s, she had ended up on site with Graham at what turned out to be the abandoned mines.

It had been a very long night, especially once Mayor Mills showed up at the scene. The only good thing that had come out of it had been that she was right; her being here was finally weakening the curse over the town. If only she could figure out how to break it completely.

Now she was sitting behind the desk, staring down at the same file she had been working on for the last twenty minutes when Henry came running into the office. She cast a glance back to the glass room that was Graham’s office and noted that he was still out on patrol.

“Mom!” Henry hopped up on her desk, his eyes wide as he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down.

Emma’s hands automatically went to his hair, brushing it back as she shushed him. “Calm down, kid. What’s going on?”

His breathing was still heavy as he responded. “I found him. I found Grandpa.”

Emma’s own eyes widened as she moved to shut the main door to the office, just in case, before going back to her son. “What do you mean ‘you found him’?” she asked curiously.

She waited as he spotted her coffee cup and took a drink from it, making a face when he did, before answering her again. “Our class went on a field trip. Grandma took us to decorate the patients’ rooms and he was there. There’s a guy there that looks just like Grandpa.”

Emma knelt down in front of her son. “Are you sure about this? Did you get to speak to him at all?” she asked, putting her hands on his shoulders.

The boy shook his head, “No. He’s in his own room, in a coma. I wasn’t supposed to be in there but I wanted to see him. It has to be him.”

She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around Henry as she rose back up. “I know, kid. Tell you what, why don’t we stop by there on the way back once Graham gets back here. We’ll make sure it really is him.”

As Emma promised, the second Graham walked back in from his patrol the duo were in the car, headed towards the Storybrooke hospital. Once inside, she allowed Henry to lead her back to the ward his class had decorated, then on to the ICU room he had found with the lone patient inside. Both of them looked to make sure no one was around before slipping into the room.

As Henry took a spot on one side of the bed the man was lying in, Emma took the other as she stared down at the man’s face. The hair, the jawline, the small scar on the right side of his chin; just like the drawings the fairies had shone her, just like the pictures of him in the book Pinocchio had given them.

A staggered breath left her lips as she took one of his hands in her own as she leaned down to brush a kiss against his cheek. “Hi, papa,” she whispered in his ear as a stray tear slid down her cheek. She was about to pull her hand back from his when she felt his grip tighten around her fingers.

She looked down at her hand as she felt him squeeze it again and traded looks with Henry who was watching them both in awe. Emma returned the squeeze and leaned back down to whisper in the man’s ear. “Come on, papa. Come on. You’re almost back and your little girl is right here. Safe just like you wanted. Wake up, papa. Come on.” She brushed her free hand through his hair as she brushed another kiss to his cheek. “Come back to us, papa.”

She stepped back and both she and Henry watched for any possible change in the man on the bed. They waited and when it didn’t seem as if there was going to be any change, they got ready to go. Henry had just walked out of the room, with Emma close behind, when the heart monitor started to increase. Emma motioned Henry back into the room and went to stand back by her father’s bedside. She grabbed his hand again and held on as she waited once again.

“That’s it, papa. You’re almost there,” she spoke calmly as she rubbed her thumb across his knuckles. “You’re almost home, papa.”

A small moan left the man’s lips as his eyes slowly began to blink open. Another tear slipped down Emma’s cheek as his eyes, an exact replica of her own, stared back at her with a hint of panic.

“Henry,” she looked over at him, “go get the doctor. Let him know that,” Emma glanced down at the hospital bracelet, “John Doe is awake.” As she heard Henry’s footsteps head towards the door and out of the room, she noticed the man trying to speak through the feeding tube. “It’s alright, the doctor’s on his way.”

Less than five minutes later Henry was back with the doctor and a team of nurses that forced the duo to wait outside while they checked over John Doe. She caught the smile on Henry’s face as the man was finally freed from the wires and sat up in the bed and returned it with one of her own as she pulled him close to her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the mayor coming closer and the look she was shooting her way. “Deputy Swan,” Regina spat as she came to stand next to them.

“Madame Mayor,” Emma kept a tight grip on Henry’s shoulder as she kept an eye on the woman beside her. “What are you doing here?”

She caught Regina’s sneer when she replied, “I’m his emergency contact. What are _you_ doing here?”

Emma smiled and reached inside the inner pocket of her leather jacket. “My son was here earlier and recognized his uncle,” she handed the forged birth certificate, identification card, and social security card over to the mayor, “We knew he had been living in this area, but we hadn’t heard from him in a while. Now I know why.”

The doctor finally came out of the room as Regina continued staring at the documents Emma had been able to provide. “Well everything seems to be in order. He appears to be showing no signs of any further injuries, though he is experiencing bit of amnesia which can be common to those in such a state as he was for as long as he was. We’ll be keeping him here for a few more days for general observation but then he’ll be free to go.” He glanced over at Regina, “Does he have any relatives nearby that would be able to take him in?”

A small smirk formed on Emma’s lips as Regina wordlessly showed the documents to the doctor. “He’s my brother.”

He turned back to Emma with a smile. “This probably wasn’t the family reunion you expected, huh? Your brother, James, should be free to go in a couple of days. Do you have a number I can reach you at?”

Emma quickly gave him the number for the station and her cell phone number. “Do you mind if we go in to see him?” she heard Henry ask.

The doctor nodded. “Go ahead but I wouldn’t keep him too long. Despite the coma, he still needs his rest.”

She returned his nod and guided Henry back inside the room. “So you’re my sister, huh?” she heard him rasp as Henry went right to his side. Emma grabbed the pitcher of water from the rollaway tray and poured him a glass before coming over to stand by his side.

“Something like that,” Emma grinned as she held the cup of water out to him. She watched as he took it and swallowed what appeared to be most of it down right away, causing him to cough slightly. “Easy there, slugger.”

That got a brief chuckle out of him as he looked between both Emma and Henry. “I’m sorry I don’t recognize you guys.” His gaze stayed stuck on Emma. “You’re sort of familiar though, so I guess that’s good.”

Emma placed her hand in his, like she had done when he was asleep. “It’s good,” she said with a tentative smile. “I’m sure it’ll start coming back soon.” At his yawn that he tried to hide, she let go of his hand after giving it another squeeze. “Come on, Henry. We’ll come back by and see you tomorrow, James.”

Catching both his mother and James off guard, Henry wrapped his arms around the man for a quick hug before going to his mother’s side. They both waved goodbye to him before starting on their way to Granny’s. Before they headed up to their room, Emma led him to the diner for dinner. While Ruby was busy talking to him at the counter, Emma stepped aside to make a phone call.

“Yeah, it’s me. That space still available?”

Over on the other side of town, at the mayor’s house, Regina was furiously pacing in front of Graham. “I want her gone,” she ranted, “I don’t know what she wants or what business she thinks she has here, I want her _out_.”

Graham sighed as he leaned back on the bed, waiting for her to end her tirade. It had been happening more and more especially as their new guest started to become a permanent fixture in town. She had been outraged when she had found out he had made the blond his deputy without talking it over with her first.

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” he shrugged as he kicked off his boots.

Regina finally stopped her pacing only to glare at him. “There _has_ to be something. Arrest her, lock her up, or put a restraining order on her. I don’t care!”

 Graham gave another sigh as he grabbed the shirt he had removed earlier. “Why does she have you this upset? She hasn’t done anything to you.”

“Not yet,” she muttered under her breath, low enough for him not to hear. “I don’t like that she’s getting to everyone in this town. Even you’re defending her. I don’t like it.”

Another sigh left his lips as the sheriff closed his eyes and grabbed his jacket. “I can’t stay here when you’re like this.” Pulling the leather jacket on, Graham wasted no time as he walked out of the bedroom, ignoring as she called his name.

As she heard his footsteps continue retreating down the hall and then the sound of the door finally closing behind him, the rage that had been building since the hospital boiled over. She grabbed the glass tumbler from beside the bed and threw it hard against the wall.

She would have her revenge against that Swan, the _Savior_ , if it was the last thing she did.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 5_

The response to Emma’s phone call was better than she had expected. Mary Margaret had been excited when Emma had called her earlier that night. The woman told her that she could bring their stuff by once she dropped Henry off and that she would have the key for Emma to get in when she got to the school.

Between the events of the day and the packing, Emma could tell that her son was about to drop but there was something else in his eyes that told her that something was bothering him. Not wanting to push him, knowing that he would talk sooner or later, she had made the packing into a game. Once it was done, she had coerced him into a shower and set about tucking him in once he was done.

Just as she was about to turn out the light beside the bed, she heard him speak up, “I miss papa.”

There is was; she knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it inside for too long. Leaving the light on, she sat back down beside him and ran her hand through his hair.

“I know, kid,” she said quietly, “I know. I miss him, too.” More than she was willing to admit most days. She wondered what he would think if he could see her now; working as the deputy of the small town after everything they went through together. She could almost hear his laughter at the thought.

She watched as Henry’s sigh turned into a yawn as he rolled onto his side. “But it’s not the same,” he stated, “You remember him.”

Her heart broke as she listened to him; he was right, it wasn’t the same. All he would ever have of Killian were her stories; he would never have any of his own to remember. He wouldn’t even know what his father looked like. She rubbed his back, unable to think of anything she could say to help make him feel better.

There were a couple moments of silence, only broken by the small sniffles she could hear from him, before she gave voice to her own thoughts. “Henry,” she kept rubbing her hand along his back, “what brought this on?” She had an idea, but she wanted to hear it from him.

She heard another sniffle and felt his breath hitch before he answered her. “You got your papa back,” he mumbled, keeping his head on the pillow so he wouldn’t have to look up at her, “you got to see him in pictures, you got to hear his stories from the fairies, you got to read his stories in the book, now you got to see him for real even if he doesn’t remember.”

Emma let out a sigh of her own as she nudged Henry to sit up before tilting his chin around so he would look at her. When he did, she saw the hint of tears he had been trying to keep back. “I just want papa.”

She let him rest his head against her shoulder as his tears started to roll down his cheeks. She held tight to him, “You don’t know how sorry I am that you don’t get to have your papa around,” she closed her eyes as she pressed a kiss to his head. “He loved you so much; he did everything he could to protect you.” She gave a small chuckle, “He had a house built for us on an island and he stayed there with me while his first mate took the Jolly Roger on the occasional run to keep the crew happy until it was time for you to come. The day you were born, he was terrified to hold you because he was scared he was going to hurt you with his hook but once I handed you to him and you were safe in his arms, he never wanted to let you go. Believe me, if there had been a way for him to be with us, he would have taken it.”

Emma moved to lie down next to him and brought his head to rest on her chest. “I know it hurts and I know you miss him, but that’s good. Because that’s what keeps him here,” she put a hand over his chest where his heart was. “You don’t remember him, but you know him and you love him so he’s in there. He’ll always be there.”

She had ended up holding her son and telling him more about the short few months he had gotten to spend with his father as a baby before they had been forced to leave. Once he was sound asleep, she held him for another moment before slipping from his side. She gathered up the two duffle bags, throwing them over her shoulders, and the small box of keepsakes to carry them down to the car so they were already packed to go over to Mary Margaret’s after she dropped Henry off.

She made a quick stop in the diner before she headed back upstairs and managed to convince Ruby to pour her a double shot of what this world passed off as whiskey before taking her drink up to the room.

Once she was in and made sure that Henry was still sleeping, Emma went over to the desk and opened the leather bound book as she sipped the alcohol while occasionally stealing glances over at the bed. It was the nights like these that made Emma long for the mess to be done with; that the final battle would start already so she could get justice for the loss of her parents and the loss of her other half. At least then maybe she would rest easier, knowing that Killian hadn’t given his life in vain for her and their baby boy.

As she flipped through the pages of the book, she wondered for a moment if Pinocchio would be able to do something similar with her story if she told it to him; at least then Henry would have something to hold on to and look at on these sorts of nights. She shook the thought away as she took another sip from the glass; she had to focus.

Of all the stories in the book, there must be something in there that would give her a clue as to how to break the curse. By that time, she had drained her glass and contemplated on if it was too late to get more however out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the page that held an artist’s rendering of her father waking her mother from sleeping curse.

She barely managed to set her glass on the desk as her jaw dropped and a smile slowly stretched its way across her face. Of course it would work! The most powerful magic in any realm, even one without typical magic, and the reason she had been able to harness it after she had found her own True Love.

She had to get Prince Charming and Snow White together.

Over on the other side of town, Regina was alone in her room; Graham having put himself on the night shifts. She had watched the stranger, the _Savior,_ at the hospital; it seemed she was prepared for anything with how she had managed to produce the documents to get _Charming_ out of her custody. She hadn’t even had a chance to get Abigail out from the psych ward.

There had to be a way to stop that woman before she made things worse in the town than they already were. First the clock restarting, then the mines opening up, now her daddy dearest was awake and who knew how her weakening curse would affect him.

She heard the sound of someone’s footsteps approaching and turned to see Sydney Glass standing in the doorway. “Did you find anything?”

He shook his head and handed over the file folder he had brought with him. “There’s no record of her until about ten years ago when she turned up in a small diner with her three month old son and no father though someone went on record saying that he had been killed. They’ve moved around a lot, never staying in one place for too long until Henry started going to school. And even then they seem to move every summer.”

As he kept talking Regina’s mind flashed back to what she had seen in the hospital and Sydney’s words. A devious grin spread across her face. She knew exactly what she could use to break that woman; she just needed to figure out how.

Between the schedule Graham had given her and the occasional stop by the hospital to see her father, it ended up being a couple of day before Emma had finally managed to get her and Henry’s stuff over to the loft after getting the keys from Mary Margaret. Once she brought the few things they had brought into the loft and put them in the spare room for now, Emma headed back out again to the hospital. Doctor Whale had mentioned to her yesterday that her father, her brother as he knew him, was being released and she wanted to help get him settled.

She made a quick stop by the store and picked up some clothes that looked about his size, or at least would work until they could find him something better, before heading over to the hospital. When she walked into his hospital room, she was surprised to see that the nurses had already unhooked him from the IV drip that had been attached to his arm.

“I come bearing gifts,” Emma walked in and offered him the bag.

She watched as he took the bag from her and the visible sigh of relief when he saw the clothes she had brought for him. “Thanks, Emma,” James said as he tugged at the collar of the hospital gown. “Whoever made these weren’t thinking straight.” Emma laughed and left the room for a moment to give him the privacy he needed to get changed.

Once he was ready and he had signed the release papers, they were on their way. “So where’s Henry?” Since the day James had woken up, Henry had insisted on coming with her practically every time she had gone to see her father; thankfully James didn’t seem to mind the boy hanging out with them.

“He’s at school,” Emma replied as she pulled into the parking lot at Granny’s, “but I’m sure he’ll be by later to see you. Are you hungry?” she asked as they got out and made their way inside the diner.

James had been about to protest until they walked through the door and the smells hit him causing his stomach to rumble. A blush formed on his cheeks and Emma laughed as she led him over to an empty booth where Ruby managed to pop up with two menus for them. Once they gave her their orders, Ruby left them on their own as Emma slid the key to the room in the bed and breakfast across the table to him.

“It’s not much but there’s a bed and a shower and there’s easy access to get down here,” she explained. “I’m still not too sure if you had a place here in town or not but I’m going to try to find out to see if we can at least get any of your stuff that might have been here.” Part of her time at the office lately had been searching through the records to see if there was any hint of any identity he had here but so far she had come up blank; it was almost as if Regina had thought he would never wake up.

James nodded as he took the key as Ruby returned with their meals. “Thanks, Emma,” he said as he picked at his fries, “I just wish I could be more help.”

Emma sighed and gave him a smile as she passed him the ketchup. “Give it time. Like Doctor Whale said, it could come back anytime.” She wondered what it would be when his memories finally came back to him; would it be whatever reality the Queen had created for him here or would it be his real memories. Would he be some stranger or would he be her father, the one who nearly gave his life to make sure she was safe?

They continued through with their lunch with more general small talk as Emma filled him in more on the town and the people they saw coming in and out of the diner. She had been forced to bite back a wide grin that wanted to form when he told her that he had met Mary Margaret during his time at the hospital; that she had been one of the volunteers who had actually kept him company during his time there.

It wasn’t much but it was a step.

Once they were through, Emma paid the tab much to James’ protest and led him up to the room. With the promise to bring Henry by soon and to return with more close, she gave him a hug that let her sneak her credit card into the pocket of his flannel shirt before leaving him alone to get settled into his new, hopefully temporary, home.

Later that night, Graham found himself out on the night patrol once again. When he had been asked why he had put himself on that schedule, he had argued that it had been so Emma could have the nights with her son instead of being forced to find a sitter. In all honesty, he enjoyed the night patrols, especially when the moon was full as it was that night. Also, not that he would admit it to her, it was nice to have the nights to himself instead of being with Regina, especially as she continued with her hatred towards his deputy.

Graham put his foot on the brake to slow the cruiser as he let out a yawn. His eyes were closed for all of a moment but when he opened them back up, there was a wolf standing in front of his car!

In shock, the sheriff put the car in park before getting out and slowly approaching the large canine. Instead of running off as he thought it would, the wolf stepped closer to him, close enough to nudge its head against his hand.

Graham swore that he should have been able to feel his heart pounding in his chest as he knelt down in front of the creature but there was nothing there. As he looked closer at the wolf, he felt a strange urge of familiarity wash over him and let out a gasp as he looked into the canine’s eyes: one blue, one red.

Now terrified, Graham backed away from the creature, towards his car but it followed him and jumped through the door he had left open.

“N-no, you can’t be in there,” he told the wolf but instead it attempted to make its comfortable in the passenger seat. With a gulp and the decision to take the animal to the shelter, Graham reluctantly got in the car and started to head in the direction of the animal shelter.

As he drove through the dark night, he kept glancing over at the seat where the wolf remained staring at him. He raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when a flash ran through his mind, just the briefest glimpse of a wooded forest in daylight and the wolf staring at him as it was now.

He pressed a hand to his head as he heard the wolf beside him whimper.

_What’s wrong with me?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Feel free to hate me for this chapter; I hate ME for this chapter. Though it didn't help that I had "A Heart is a Lonely Hunter" (which some of the dialogue is borrowed from) on while writing it. Anyway things are speeding up in Storybrooke now! Here we go!

_Chapter 6_

"So how're things going with James?" Emma bit back a smile as Mary Margaret brought two cups of hot cocoa over to the table. Once she had gotten back from her lunch with her father, Emma had done her best to get more settled into the loft she was now sharing with her mother. It was still almost unreal, in a way; she still expected to wake up and be in one of the cheap hotels they had first stayed in after coming to this land. But here she was, in the same small town as her parents and getting to spend time with both of them.

Emma took the offered mug and inhaled the faint hint of cinnamon before taking the first sip. "It's going as good as it can. He doesn't remember anything but he seems to be getting used to everything pretty easily. He even tried to fight me over paying for lunch earlier," she stole a glance over at Mary Margaret to catch her reaction to her statement.

It paid off and Emma had to take another drink to cover up the smirk that had formed. "W-well that's good. That he's adjusting."

Finally she set her mug on the table and reached over to put a hand over her mother's. "Yeah, it is," she gave her fingers a light squeeze. "He mentioned you today, while we were talking. Seems you made an impression on him during your rounds at the hospital."

The small noise that left Mary Margaret's lips brought another smile to Emma's face and she stole another glance in time to see the other woman blush. The brunette was just about to speak again when they heard a frantic knocking at their front door. They traded curious looks before Emma went to answer it; not wanting the knocking to wake up Henry. When she seen who was behind the door, she stared in surprise.

"Graham, what are you doing here?"

_After the strange episode with the flash, Graham had driven out to the animal shelter and managed to get the wolf out of his cruiser and into the building. It had happily followed him until he led it to the cage they had set separate from the other dogs, specifically for wild animals. When he had tried to get the large canine to go into the cage, it had started growling at him with what could have been a look of hurt in its eyes._

_He had tried putting his hands on it to make it go inside but the wolf had let how a horrific howl before swiping at him. Graham had expected pain when it happened, but when he looked at where the wolf at hit him, there were no gashes from its claws. Instead it continued letting out pitiful howls as it stared at him in horror._

_The sheriff tried one more time to try to coerce the canine into the cage but all it did was continue on whimpering as it backed away from him, its head to the ground. Finally he gave up and told the dog to go as he headed back out to the car._

_As he watched the wolf disappear, his vision started to go fuzzy again as the sights in front of him changed over to the dimly lit woods and…..Mary Margaret?_

"I was on patrol," Graham said as he took the warm mug Mary Margaret offered him. They had let him come in and given him a seat at the table so he could attempt to calm down from the state he was in. "and there was a wolf. It wouldn't leave and it jumped in the car with me and just stared."

Emma's brow furrowed as she listened to him describe what was had brought him to their doorstep. A wolf jumping into a car was something that would frighten someone, but that couldn't be what had him coming around this late.

"I tried taking it to the animal shelter; we've got a cage there for any wild animals that get caught, but it wouldn't go in the cage. It just kept making this howling noise and staring at me like I betrayed him," the sheriff's hands were still shaking as he lifted the mug to his lips. "And…and I had these…flashes…sort of like visions…but they felt more like…memories. I was in the woods and there was the wolf again….and you…you were there."

As the pair continued talking, Emma began pacing as she tried to figure out what was happening to the sheriff. She had been trying to place him in the book since she had started working at the station but with everything that had been happening lately, her search had fallen by the wayside. But flashes of the woods, a wolf, her mother?

"Do you believe in other lives…like past lives?" A small gasp left Emma's lips when she heard his question and turned around to face them again. She went over and grabbed the large book off of the coffee table where Henry had left it before coming back to them.

Not wanting to have the conversation in front of her mother, she tried to signal Mary Margaret to leave her alone with Graham. It took a moment for her to understand but she finally excused herself. Once she was out of the room, Emma placed the book in front of him. "Now I know this is going to sound silly," she began.

That got a small smile out of him, "More silly than a wolf in a police car?" he attempted to joke before taking another sip from his mug.

Emma gave him a smile before turning serious as she opened the book. "I know why you had those flashes. Well not exactly why, but I know why they seem familiar to you."

Graham's brow furrowed as he looked down at the brightly colored pages as she flipped through them quickly, obviously searching for something. "Your son's storybook?"

Emma raised an eyebrow at him, "You asked about past lives, but what about a real life that you can't remember?" She flipped through the pages of her mother's story to where she hazarded a guess that his would come into play. "Everyone in this town is from somewhere completely different, but when they came here, they weren't able to remember who they were."

The sheriff gave a small nod, "So the flashes _are_ memories. But why don't I, _we,_ remember?"

Emma sighed as she finally landed on the page she wanted, the one with the drawing of the Huntsman with a knife raised to strike. "It's a punishment, in a way. The person responsible wanted to bring everyone in her kingdom to a land where only she would have a happy ending."

From the look on his face, he was doing his best to process and understand what she was saying. "But why would the wolf be there?"

The blond sighed before delving into the story. "In our land, where we're from, you were known as the Huntsman and you were raised by wolves. Nearly everywhere you went your brother went with you; odds are that's the wolf that you saw and it makes sense with how it reacted to you and when you tried to force him into the cage."

Another glimmer of confusion crossed his expression, "Then why would I have memories of Mary Margaret?"

"You were hired by the Queen to kill her and bring back her hear, but when the time came you couldn't do it," she tapped a finger against the page. "You killed a stag and tried to offer that up instead but you got caught."

"And," there was a tremble to his voice as he spoke, "what happened after that?"

Emma flipped over to the next page that displayed a picture of the Evil Queen's vault. "She took your heart instead so that you wouldn't be able to show compassion for anything again. This is where she kept them in our land; I'm not sure where she keeps them here. If she does."

Graham studied the picture of the vault carefully. "I've seen that place before," he muttered, "it's here." He set his empty cup on the table and jumped up to head towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Emma called after him.

"She has my heart, I need to find it," he told her as he headed out of the loft. Emma waited a moment before letting out a groan and racing after him.

With the help of the wolf that had shown back up, it wasn't long before the pair was standing outside of the vault from the storybook.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Emma asked him one more time as they stared at the tomb.

Graham took a breath as he stared up at the symbol above the doors before giving a small nod. "I have to do this. My heart's in there; I can feel it."

Emma returned his nod before stepped forward to try the door. She tried it a few times but it refused to budge; the lock having been put in place. Giving up on opening it the normal way, she stepped back and gave it a fierce kick, the hinges giving a cry as the door swung open. She stepped back and motioned for him to go in ahead of her.

"It has to be here somewhere," Graham said as he turned on the flashlight to get a better look as he searched. "A secret door or something," he handed the flashlight off to her as he started patting at the walls in search of a switch or lever.

Emma had been ready to lean against the sarcophagus that was in the middle of the room when she heard footsteps on the small concrete steps.

"What the hell do you both think you're doing?!" she turned around to see the major standing with a small bouquet of flowers in her hands. Regina turned her glare towards Emma. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Graham stepped over closer to the two women, almost blocking Emma from Regina's glare. "She came with me; I wanted to look in there."

A look of confusion flared on the mayor's face. "And what were you hoping to find?"

The sheriff's shoulder sagged as he shook his head. "N-nothing. It was nothing." Emma went to put a hand on his arm but Regina grabbed his hand first.

"Let's get you home," the second Graham let go of her hand, a look of anger appeared in Regina's eyes.

"I don't want to go home. Not with you, not again." Regina's angry stare turned from the sheriff to Emma who backed up slowly away from them.

"I had nothing to do with it; this is all one you two." She said rephrasing the statement she truly wanted to make.

Once again Graham stepped between the two of them. "She's right and we have to deal with this. I can't keep doing this anymore, Regina. I don't…I don't feel anything when I'm with you and it's not me. I've _never_ felt anything when I've been with you."

Regina took a step forward and attempted to put a hand on his chest. "You're not thinking straight; just come home and you can sleep this off."

The dark haired sheriff stepped back from her. "No, no I think I am for the first time in a long while, Regina. This…this isn't right and I deserve better than this. I would rather have nothing than to keep whatever this is going. I need a chance to find someone that makes me… _feel._ "

The mayor tried one more time, stepping forward and calling his name. Instead of letting her touch him, he shook his head. "It's over, Regina."

Angry, tear-filled eyes locked onto Emma. "I don't know what I ever did to you to deserve this."

"It's not her," Graham protested again but Regina's words had Emma returning her glare.

"You know exactly what you did to me, to every person in this damn town," she finally stepped around Graham, "You've made everyone in this town miserable, even him. The _problem_ , Madame Mayor, isn't with me; it's you."

She received another hate filled glare before Regina swung the first punch however Emma retaliated with one of her own before managing to get the mayor in a hold and slamming her against the mausoleum before Graham pulled her off. Emma stared at the other woman as she doubled over before walking off. "You're not worth it."

Regina looked pleadingly over at Graham once again before the sheriff followed the same path Emma took.

The pair found themselves back at the loft with Graham looking through the book once again as Emma grabbed a bag of frozen peas to put over her left eye, the first aid kit already on the table. "So I'm the Huntsman, Mary Margaret," he lowered his voice, "is Snow White, Regina is the Evil Queen. But how do you fit in? How do you remember all of this?"

Emma held the bag to her head as she sat down across from him. "I…I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming," she chuckled at the look of disbelief on his face. "I know, I know but I swear it's true. When the curse came, my parents had a wardrobe built that was supposed to protect me but they couldn't get to it in time. I spent sixteen years living in what was left in the other world with the leftover fairies."

Graham looked up from the book and set his elbows on the table. "How did you get here then?"

Emma smiled at him as she set aside the bag and grabbed an alcohol wipe from the first aid kit. "I met someone," a wistful look came over her face as she thought about it, "the sort of someone you mentioned finding, the one that makes you feel," she gave a sigh, " _everything_. We sailed together, found treasure, found a treasure that would bring us here. Ended up getting a surprise," she glanced over at the stairs that led to the room her son was sleeping in, "then got forced to separate so I could use our way out of that land to come here and break the curse."

"He sounds like a good man," Graham said as he took the wipe from her to clean the small cut above her eye.

Emma gave a laugh as she fought the wince of the alcohol meeting the open wound, "Oh he would have choked if he heard you say that. But he was…he really was. Hopefully you'll find that, too, now."

Graham chuckled as he stepped back. "Maybe, know anyone who might be interested in a wolfman?"

She snickered slightly at his comment, "Well you could always try Ruby," she commented, knowing he hadn't read enough to understand that comment fully.

A small started to form on his face but started to contort into a look of pain as he clutched his chest. "Emma," he gasped as she rushed over to steady him.

"Graham, what's wrong?" she asked frantically as she searched for a cause but it was too late. His weight crashed against hers and brought her to the ground. "Graham!" she shook his shoulders before grabbing his wrist to feel for a pulse. "C'mon!" He had just been standing in front of her, talking about finding his own love, and now…NO! NO! NO! He couldn't be. She double checked his pulse before putting a hand in front of his mouth.

Unable to find any sign of life, she let out a strangled cry. She heard a shocked gasp and turned in time to see Mary Margaret staring in horror at them. "Call 911." As Mary Margaret grabbed the phone, Emma laid Graham's body back on the floor. Of all the things he had lost, given up, to save her mother; without his sacrifice she never would have met Killian or had Henry, she wouldn't even be there right now.

Emma brought her hand up to close his eyes and rested her forehead against his. "Thank you."

~~

_He was standing in an open field with sheep then he was staring at himself in a mirror. Someone handed him a sword and there was a dragon and then a blond woman and then a hijacking. There was a woman in a cage and it felt like he had known her forever, then there were weird creatures and the dark haired woman was saying goodbye to him. Secret meetings with her that felt like the best days of his life, tears as she said she couldn't see him anymore, pain in his chest, then seeing her again in a glass coffin. Waking her with a kiss, getting down on one knee, a small wedding performed by a knight, a large wedding surrounded by all the people of the kingdom. The woman telling him they were having a baby, his wife's growing belly, the first kick, preparing a nursery, the terror as a curse threatened to come, the panic as his wife went into labor, the site of his baby girl in her mother's arms for the very first time, the site of the baby in his own arms as he fought to get her to safety, the fear of being too far from the wardrobe, a small woman waving a wand over the baby and disappearing. The pain as the sword pierced his shoulder and the fear for his wife and daughter._

David let out a gasp as he jolted from his bed in the room at Granny's.

"Snow."


End file.
